Analytics
CASE STUDY
Sellpoints moves beyond last-click attribution to double performance of non-brand paid search and triple performance of display About Sellpoints • Experts in online selling • Founded in 2000 • Based in Emeryville, CA • www.sellpoints.com
Goals • Make informed marketing decisions • Drive performance improvements • Obtain a more accurate understanding of conversion paths
Approach • Leveraged position-based and timedecay models • Embraced Multi-Channel Funnels in Google Analytics • Imported results of analysis into AdWords
Results • Highlighted brand and non-brand interaction – 40% of conversions attributed to brand terms in last-click model had actually started on non-brand interactions •
Improved display measurement – while last-click model reported display CPA as eight times higher than goal CPA, other attribution models showed that display CPA in fact outperformed goal CPA
• Refined marketing spend according to findings – doubled non-brand paid search performance and tripled display performance
In order to help one of its global clients to make decisions about marketing and obtain the best possible results from advertising investment, Sellpoints wanted to obtain an accurate understanding of users’ paths to conversion. The agency understood that those advertisers who give all the credit for a sale only to the final click along the conversion path aren’t getting a true reflection of reality. Conversion paths are complicated; a user may begin with a search using generic terms, see and click on a display ad, perform another search later using narrower branded keywords, click on a paid search ad and eventually convert after a wide variety of online actions. A last-click analysis ignores all of these actions except the final one. Google offers a range of tools to help advertisers move beyond the last click, and Sellpoints put these to work. The agency used Multi-Channel Funnels – a feature of Google Analytics, which can also incorporate Display impressions – to show how users convert across a range of online channels. It also applied insights into customer behavior to create models tailored specifically to its client, using a combination of a position-based model and a time-decay model. In valuing each step along the conversion path, Sellpoints’ analysis turned up a number of important discoveries. First, it determined that in a lastclick model, 30% of conversions were attributed to brand keywords. Using its combination of position-based and time-decay models, Sellpoints was able to demonstrate that 40% of these in fact had started on a non-brand interaction. Meanwhile, using a last-click model it appeared that display was delivering a cost per acquisition (CPA) eight times higher than the goal CPA. Running the data using Sellpoints’ more refined models, however, showed that the CPA was in fact below the goal CPA. A key insight here was the value of display impressions; Sellpoints only valued those impressions that directly preceded a site visit of two minutes or more.
From the start, Sellpoints took care to make sure that its analysis would be useful and actionable. This means that the agency can easily import learnings from the two models and Multi-Channel Funnels into AdWords to have a tangible positive impact on future performance. Sellpoints’ client has adjusted its target return on advertising spending (ROAS) for non-brand terms, doubling the size of the non-brand paid search program while still respecting ROAS thresholds. It’s also tripled the size of the display program – which continues to perform under CPA goals.
About Google Analytics Google Analytics is the enterprise-class analytics solution that gives companies rich insights into their digital audiences and marketing effectiveness. With features that are powerful, flexible, and easy-to-use, companies large and small can measure engagement to create more effective marketing initiatives, improve user experience, and optimize their digital strategies. Sophisticated conversion attribution and experimentation tools help savvy marketers determine the best allocation of media and resources to drive results. For more information, visit google.com/analytics.
© 2014 Google Inc. All rights reserved. Google and the Google logo are trademarks of Google Inc. All other company and product names may be trademarks of the respective companies with which they are associated.
